Ray Day

Be sure to head to Scarlett Ice tonight for the live blog in addition to the comments here.

Going to see Ray

Looking forward to tomorrow's match against the Flyers with Ray in net. TSN has a short spot up about the reunion.

He's been playing well overall - a nice 0.922 SV% with only 10 goals allowed in his past 6 games.

For old time's sake.

Somethin' about a *real* battle.....

The good news for Sens fans is that Quinn was never very good at winning in Ottawa.

Well, at least during the regular season...

Welcome to the game day thread!

EDMONTON @ OTTAWA
Pat Quinn brings his new Edmonton team into Kanata to face the Sens. Edmonton have played a few more games than Ottawa but only have one more point to show for it, so Ottawa must like their chances in this one. We can bring up the whole eastern conference vs the west argument again, in minutia, but a quick glance is all you really need to see that the West is certainly as a whole, the best. So far anyway. So Ottawa would be wise to not underestimate the Oilers who have scratched out their points theoretically against stronger teams than Ottawa have.

I still like Ottawa in this one. At home, coming off a late collapse against New Jersey, the Sens should certainly be motivated and wanting to get back on the rails. There are no must win games in November, but Ottawa's confidence could go either way right now, one would think, and it doesn't get much easier than Edmonton for the rest of the month.

MINNESOTA @ TORONTO
The Wild ride into town wondering what the hell has happened to them since Jacques Lemaire departed to ruin the fan experience in New Jersey. The Wild are last in the west and with ex-Sen Martin Havlat leading the offence, they aren't scoring a bunch of goals despite the implementation of a more offence-friendly system. They are allowing more however, despite Backstrom still being a top 5 goalie in the NHL.

Same West vs East theory applies for the Leafs as once again Minnesota are probably not as bad as they seem having had to face teams like San Jose and Vancouver instead of Tampa and Florida. The Wild have also won a few games lately, beating the Rangers and Penguins in the last week - a feat neither Toronto or Ottawa for that matter have been able to duplicate.

I'll call it a double victory for Ontario with the Leafs winning a tight one, 2-1.
I do believe Komisarek was scheduled to play but haven't checked since this morning. Anybody know?

Enjoy the games.

Norris winner gives Leaf goalie props.

I don't for a second think that I'm anything more than a fan with too much spare time on his hands. So while I'll try and tell you that I believe Gustavsson looks like the Leafs best goalie since Joseph was stealing playoff games from the Sens, here's a second opinion:

"I think they have found their goalie," Lidstrom said, adding that Gustavsson reminds him of another Swedish goalie. "He looks like (Rangers' Henrik) Lundqvist in there," Lidstrom said. "He's bigger than Henrik, but both have the ability to make themselves big in the net and not give you too much to shoot at."

I just noticed Lidstrom is a UFA after this season.
Think he might get a few calls July 1st?

I haven't even looked at the stats...

But is there a link between the Leafs absence of fighting majors in the last two weeks and their accumulating points in the standings?

It hit me last night... When's the last time Colton Orr pounded the shit out of somebody?

I'm drunk and out of the country. Can somebody look it up and see if I'm right? I do believe that during the Leafs run of points there has been very little "truculence".

Ya, sure, Gustavsson, Kessel, blah blah blah.

Anybody willing to look into this?

GDT - "Get me out of here" edition!

It might just be the most pathetic "battle" of the year. The winner of tonight's game between Carolina and Toronto WON'T be in 30th place.

Sigh.

All the same, you can't get to 8th place in the east from 15th without first passing 14th. So the Leafs need to get it done.

Carolina are injured and have zero confidence and can't seem to put a puck in the net. Exactly the kind of dog in the corner you don't want to play (See Anaheim facing the Leafs).

The good news is Toronto is healthy, have Phil Kessel on the first line, and since having our #1 and #2 goalies back have earned at least a point out of every game.
It's something, anyway.

Wilson hasn't said who will start tonight but my guess is that desperation will override the quality of opponent here and we'll see Gustavsson in net as the Leafs look for only their 2nd win of the season. Worry about Detroit tomorrow.

UPDATE 2:57pm: Now a fact: Gustavsson gets the start.

Leafs 5 Carolina 1. Kessel with a pair of goals, giving him one more than Spezza. :)

What's going on with Finger?

Chemmy at PPP asks. The answer? He's not who they thought he was.

Quick n' Dirty GDT

Both BoO teams in action today.

Tampa Bay - coming off a charity point game against a full & healthy Leaf squad with all of its top stars (that's you Kessel, Blake, Komisarek & Monster Jo') - arrives in Ottawa to meet the host squad missing its stud C & D gamers.

Meanwhile, Toronto heads to Carolina to face Ottawa native Rod Brind'Amour and an Eric Staal-less Hurricanes being backstopped either by backup Leighton or the abysmally performing Cam Ward (sub 0.900 SV%!). Both teams have flat out lost 12 games, but Carolina has won twice the number Toronto has @ 2. Does it seem right to anyone that they have the same number of points? Carolina will have something to say about that tonight.

Question.

Did they add 'Your team sucks' as one of the high priority groups?

Lets move past that wee mistake shall we?

The Muppet has been severely humbled this morning.

As one often does when choking on their own foot, lets change the subject as quickly as possible!

I recall one of you last week snorted something about Gustavsson maybe someday being over .900?

Well, I've been keeping a close eye and what do we have here:

JONUS GUSTAVSSON .901%
PASCAL LECLAIRE .898%

Lets also keep in mind that Toronto spent months of hard work signing this guy but traded no assets while the Sens traded away Antoine Vermette who, as I write this, has 12 points, would be the 2nd highest scorer on the Sens and has 7 points more than Alexei Kovalev, the $5M forward.

It does make one wonder, is Murray the worst GM in the NHL right now?

6 != 22

We couldn't let this die in the comments section.

Muppet says:

"A very interesting fact was revealed this morning while I drove out there, one that I wish we had known for the last 3 months as it pretty much kills the concept that Phil Kessel's 08/09 season success is owed exclusively to one Marc Savard. Raise your hand Sens fans if you've written or spoken this at least once since the trade in September."

THM raises his hand and waves it around like a giddy schoolkid "I did! I did! IIIIIIIII DIIIID!!!!"

Muppet says:

MARC SAVARD ASSISTED ON 6 OF PHIL KESSEL'S 36 GOALS LAST SEASON.

Oh.... but wait!!!

Marc Savard indeed assisted on 22 of 36 of Kessel's goals.  That's 61.1%.  Maybe the source that left Muppet so excited to return from Oakville for his post -- already tanked in preparation for the AM640 game day revealing of the bronze Kessel Statue @ Yong and Dundas --  entered that into his Excel sheet as a fraction, hit % on the format bar and quickly hit the alphanumeric conversion.

So to keep our accounting straight

MARC SAVARD ASSISTED ON 22 OF PHIL KESSEL'S 36 GOALS LAST SEASON.

Your Muppet facepalm.

Suck it Matt Stajan

Leafs Game Day Thread - The Kessel Edition

I had an 8am presentation in Oakville and it has nearly killed me waiting to get back to the office to create this post.

A very interesting fact was revealed this morning while I drove out there, one that I wish we had known for the last 3 months as it pretty much kills the concept that Phil Kessel's 08/09 season success is owed exclusively to one Marc Savard. Raise your hand Sens fans if you've written or spoken this at least once since the trade in September.

So, without further adieu, here it is.

MARC SAVARD ASSISTED ON 6 OF PHIL KESSEL'S 36 GOALS LAST SEASON.
(Courtesy of the Toronto Star)

To take nothing away from Marc Savard, who is a great disher of the puck, it would seem from that statistic that the anti-Kessel/anti-Leaf argument in this case has absolutely no legs. Kessel was leading scorer on a team and the leading assist guy had almost nothing to do with it.

While I don't expect Kessel to do all that much for the first few weeks as he becomes familiar with new teammates and a new system it is not out of the question for him to have a memorable first night. Many players who are on long layoffs often do, the adrenaline more than compensating for the rusty hinges. I think we can expect something and the safe bet is a goal while playing on the league's best PP. A feed from Kaberle who, as I write this, has more assists than Marc Savard.

One last thing: I bought a brand new RBK Leafs dark jersey last night. I'm in Chicago next Friday to see the Leafs battle the Hawks. Great seats. Can't wait. I hope the Leafs score a few and I can be on TV. If I do, I'll be sure to turn around so you can all see the name and number I've chosen for the back.

Phill Kessel. #81.

Call me optimistic.

UPDATE: Kessel's tests were positive, officially announced he is 100% playing tonight.

No pressure

Kaberle today on Kessel:
"He's a skill guy. He showed he can score 30, 40, 50 goals a year."

Tomas - he's scored 11, 19, and 36 in his three seasons.

And the leading scorer in the NHL is...

Well, for one week anyway! Kaberle's incredible 13 points last week fetched him the NHL's first star.

His 17 points now leads all defenseman in the NHL in scoring.

His 15 assists are tops in the NHL.

He is 12th in overall NHL scoring, ahead of Sidney Crosby.

His 12 powerplay points also lead the NHL.

Congratulations Thomas. Lets hope that feeding Kessel some passes up the wing can give the Leafs as a team the same kind of big week.

First it was the Argos....

...and now its the Leafs??  What took so long?

(UofT & York football teams wimpering in the corner....)

Atlanta @ Ottawa GDT

Not since Antoine Vermette left have we seen such bare-chested imagery on the BoO.  So definitely we need to push that beefcake down the page.  

Sens to win 5-3 without Spezza or Volchenkov but also without piggy flu.

"Go Sens Go!" she says.

Trick or treat?

Sens against Atlanta this afternoon while the Leafs and Habs tussle tonight.

For the Sens, they need to take advantage of a Kovalchuk free Thrashers and get the 2pts - and no giving the opposition a free one.

Hope your candy bag is full tonight.

But can he make the headlines with his hockey equipment on?

Leafs @ Sabres
7:30pm

Tlusty hasn't been able to bring his AHL game to the big show and the Leafs always get killed in Buffalo.

Is it too much to ask for both things to change starting tonight? It's been over a year and no more naked pictures have surfaced from Tlusty, so I guess anything is possible.

I'm just sayin'.....

The Sens 3rd Period is starting...

This can be the thread.
I expect, with the score 3-0, that not many Sens fans will be in the mood to chat. Especially when "the guy you traded Heatley for" just missed on a breakaway against Mike Smith and his sub .900 %. Right DC?

So, lets talk about the Leafs instead with some news:

Macdonald and Stalberg sent down, Toskala and Tlusty are in. Phil Kessel ready to go Tuesday according to Wilson.

That's right. Kessel will be ready Tuesday in time for the Lighting and Mike Smith's soon to be above .900 save percentage.

Good Times!

Je m'appelle une douchebag

Not to excuse the stupid penalty that Ponikarovsky took before Ribeiro pulled his shit on Komisarek to make it a 5 on 3... but fuck... this guy really needs to be put on dive watch by the league.

Other than that the Leafs played really well. Two points would have been nice but hey, beggers can't be choosers. If they keep playing like this the points will come.

PS. Gustavsson is friggin awesome.

Leclaire out

Leclaire is pulled after the 1st for flu-like symptoms.  The panic that set through Sens Army about his ankle is unwarranted.  Phew.   I suppose we can assume other Sens will fall victim to the flu in the next couple of days.  Hey.... I'd rather see the team suffer the flu to start the season than suffer 7 big losses and the hugest-win-in-the-history-of-the-NHL against a West Coast team of tomato cans.

There's hilarity in delusion

This article by Mike Zeisberger has some gems that are sure to wet the pants of any level headed sports fan.

On Monster Jo's 1st win:

"it might be difficult for coach Ron Wilson to put anyone else in net for the next few days, weeks, even years, without creating a revolt within Leafs Nation."  

On what is known to future generations as "THE Save":

"His miraculous lunging stop off the Ducks' Eric Christensen early in the first period" 

(I may change his name to Jesus Jo' Monster after that one)

And representing Leaf Nation, commenter number 2: StuGatzFromMississauga @ 10:17 a.m.

"All I ever wanted was a goalie who can make a save to keep the team in every game. It looks like the monster will be that guy."

After one win against a West Coast bottom feeder StuGatz?  Really Stu?  

Karlsson to Bingo

Good column by Scanlan on the demotion. Importantly, he's already been given permission to play for Sweden in the World Juniors.

And don't it feel good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmxSL6H2QEg

Sorry Don. This is our day. No one gives a shit about the next Jani Hurme.

Now if you want to talk about a real goalie...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW16dV1t3wU

Heh

The Sens put out a weekly prospect update and included in Lehner's (2nd rnd pick this draft) weekly update it says "Received Fighting Major + Game Misconduct vs. Erie on Oct. 24".

He's a goalie.

Video here.

Good Morning Leaf Fans!

Things you woke up knowing:

1. You have a goaltender who can make a highlight reel stop once in a while.
2. Your PP is now ranked 2nd in the NHL.
3. Your PK is still last.
4. There are 73 games left.
5. Tomorrow it's back to wringing your hands in Dallas...

Forget all about that though. Today I just want you to enjoy the dead monkey lying on the floor behind you and be happy!

Ghost of truculence past

Alright. I'm sick of the Leafs jokes.
We need to kick some fucking ass tonight.

Like this guy used to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7XgYSoK1go

Sometimes I feel like I'm beating a dead horse.

A co-worker (a Sens fan of course) comes up to me this morning and says "Hey! What's the difference between a triangle and the Leafs?"

"2 points" he says. "Hahahahahahahaaa!!!!!"

I slit his throat and pissed on his corpse.

Well, I imagined doing it.

I can't believe we missed it!

It's with great regret that I announce that we missed celebrating a truly magnificient achievement this weekend.

2000 days is a long time. It's when oil was $40 a barrel, Paul Martin was well in control of the government, Reagan was alive, and Raycroft and Toskala had the 6th and 7th best GAA in the league.


Free Countup Timers at WishAFriend.com

Congrats!

No seriously, it really is...

Leafs at Ducks: 10:00pm

Saturday night

Sens lose a point they should have had, Leafs lose again. 'Nuff said.

Don't make me find an image from Eight Is Enough tomorrow.

Leafs at Canucks: 7pm. CBC.

This says it all.....

There you go Conrad....

Don't Fu¢k with DIDO!

Broken femur and shattered knee cap. NHL dreams put in question. A year of intense rehab with no guarantee you'll ever be as good a hockey player when it's complete.

And Chris DiDomenico says this:

"It was just a little setback. It's a part of the game. I can't look back and say if I would have done this, or if I wouldn't have chased the puck this wouldn't have happened. I have to overcome stuff like that. It's just a bump in the road."

Get this kid a stall at the ACC as soon as possible. He's already skating and doing 2 hours a day of rehab and has put back on 25 lbs since the surgery. He busted his femur in May. Incredible.

Monster Update: Gustavsson has recovered from the groin thingy and is taking part in full practices. There's rumblings he could get the Saturday start, but probably they will play it safe and put him in against the Ducks Monday.

Can I help with your publishing career THM?!!

I have another coaching tip for your Ron Wilson book. If I'm going to latch onto your talent I only have one request: No hotel room protests.

#9: Reduce the size of the ice.

Yes, Ron and his merry band of stressed out coaches took the Leafs to Mike Gartner's rinks out in Newmarket for a Leafs 3-on-3 tournament on small ice. Luke Schenn did get his first win of the year... never mind.

Dear Publisher....

Please accept for your review this draft chapter list for a manuscript I'm working on. I plan to title as follows:

Guide to Coaching in the NHL
by Ron Wilson
with foreword by Don Cherry.

 Chapter 1:
Blame the media

Chapter 2:
Blame the players

Chapter 3:
Protect the goalie

Chapter 4:
Throw goalie under bus

Chapter 5:
Play tennis to hone hockey skills

Chapter 6:
Cross fingers & wait for Phil Kessel sans Savard

Chapter 7:
Set up MMA challenge ladder in practice 

Chapter 8:
When to face reality

When selecting the editor, I would be most appreciative if you avoided Damien Cox or Steve Simmons.

Everything completely normal here at MLSE...

This from the Toronto Star today:

Wilson has seen his clubs battle out of early season holes before. Twice he has been behind the bench of teams that won one game or less of their first 10 and still managed to claw their way back into the playoffs.

One was the 1996-97 Anaheim team, but that was a little skewed because they started the season without Paul Kariya, then took off when he returned to the lineup.

The other was a workmanlike, pre-Joe Thornton San Jose squad in 2003-04 led by Patrick Marleau and former Leaf Alyn McCauley. It won only two of its 14 games and three of its first 19 but still managed to top the Pacific Division and make it to the conference final.

Ahhhh. So this is all destiny!

Carkner signing

Murray announces a 2yr 1way contract for $700k per.
He was to be a UFA at the end of the season.

Update: There's a reason her blog isn't called The Universal Optimist.

Double double face punching contest winner.

Rumours a swirlin that this thoroughbred is available.
I've been dying to see this guy in a Leafs jersey since he first came into the league.


Oh wait. It was a Garrioch rumour.
Nevermind.

Grrrrrr.... err, meow? FML.

Gustavsson in full gear again.
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=502676

And hey, did anyone notice we're only 13 points out of first place?

Fuck my life.

Do it for the kids

To see the ACC filled with these bags and boo's raining down on the Leaf players, Wilson, and Burke - it would just swell my heart. All that love for the kids.

3 more wins next year!

This post, noticed by Antro, needs it's own post.

Except they didn't improve: they played historically bad hockey for seven games, then played approximately .420 hockey for the next 157 games.

Spread the love. And the ice time.

As we Sens fans all know, and former Sens players wearing #15 don't, ice time is a good indicator of the skill and commitment of the members of a team. While thugs and one dimensional players serve less than 10 minutes a game, consistency and effort is rewarded.

Senators coach Cory Clouston has done a good job of spreading the workload around this season. Kuba (who’s played only one game), Phillips and Volchenkov are the only players averaging more than 20 minutes of ice-time a game with Phillips at 21:01 and Volchenkov and Kuba at 20:56. Nine other players have averaged between 17 and 20 minutes a game. Seven others are between 10 and 14 minutes.

Interestingly, while Dany "I want 30 minutes a game" Heatley was gliding around an ice rink in a city where hockey doesn't belong, the Thrashers visited a guy who gets zero minutes on the ice.

5 on 3 PK

Chris Neil in the box first. Joining him mere seconds later: Chris Phillips.

It's a 5 on 3 penalty kill.

On the ice for the Sens:   Anton Volchenkov, Chris Campoli and.... guess who.

GDT: Kovlev goes home & Top meets bottom.

Two separate games this weekend with different degrees of significance.

First up:  Leafs v. Rangers

(click image for larger version)

Pretty simple here on this one.  It's top & bottom.  We've all known Leafs to be the bottom over the years, except when considering their fans who take it from their team year after year. The surprisingly first place Rangers (is Redden being benched?) take on the lowly bottom dwellers of Toronto at home.

Will Ol' MacDonald become the latest team savior?  Could this be the first win of the year for the blues?  Or will it be different goalies, same result?    

Today's lineup here.  Reimer in net in the 3rd.

Second match:  Sens @ Habs.

Kovi goes home.  It's sure to be an emotional night for AK27, but will it be a dismal affair for the 10th placed Sens with "lazy Alex" or will les Habs fans get look back at the jaw popping performance of "l'artiste" taking it to their 2-4-0 team.     Sens fans are, obviously, hoping for the latter as this is a 4 point game in the North East.  

Today's lineup here. 

74 Words that will make Leaf fans happy.

Injured winger Phil Kessel (shoulder) looked tremendous while working out at full speed with the team today. This was Kessel's second practice, but he was right up to tempo in terms of skating and shooting

There's been plenty of speculation the past two days that Kessel is well ahead of the original projected return of mid-November. Kessel says he has a return date "circled in his mind," but wouldn't say what the date was.

I had a disclaimer here but removed it. Screw it. I like the predictability, have at it...

A few thoughts before I shut the laptop and head downstairs for a beer...

1. Would anybody who barked that Kessel only succeeded last season because of his Bruins line-mates now think that maybe it's the Bruins that miss him? So far Krejci with two assists... Boston fans wondering if the money went to the right guy by now?

2. Who agrees that Ottawa has a ridiculously easy schedule until mid-November? I see only a few games against teams that made the playoffs last year. Best continue to take advantage. Mid November through December looks a hell of a lot tougher.

3. Anybody actually think the Leafs will win Saturday night against the Rangers? I don't. Which leaves a whole week for the media and fan hyper-tension to grow. It may be the longest 7 days some of the newer Leafs have ever experienced.

4. Four Leaf goaltenders and not one has shown they can be an NHL #1 goaltender this season. Phil, you better score a shitload of goals son!

We aren't the Leafs...

Vous descendez demain.
Nice touch on the intro.
HT FourHabFans

Cheer up Leaf fans

Always look on the bright side of life.

NHL caves to Leaf pressure.

Coming off the wire....


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto Maple Leafs pleased with NHL Rule Changes

President and General Manager Brian Bruke announced today that the Toronto Maple Leafs were pleased with the direction the NHL is going to introduce more scoring into the game.

"This is best for the game and for our fans. While we are obviously excited about the introduction of tennis balls to the game and expect our small, soft forwards to be able to finally put something in the net, we are concerned about the bouncing ball around our own net. Our coach, Ron Wilson, has had the team practicing with tennis balls for some time, as is obvious from our play with the old style rubber puck."

Tracking Post update

Heatley	5	Kovalev	2
		Michalek	4
		Cheechoo	0
		Total	6

Carkner	1	Blake	1
		Kessel	0
		Kaberle	0
		Total	1

The Perfect Game.

Don called it.

"This is a game I'm watching for the Sens to come out strong."

Let's break down the perfection:

Primary scoring:  

Michalek with a hattie, 2 shorthanded, 1 PPG.  Assists from Alfie, Spezza, Ruutu, & Volchenkov.

Kovalev with his second.  Assists from Alfie (twice) and Spezza.

Secondary scoring:

Foligno.  Assists from Phillips & A-Train

Picard.  Assists from Ruutu & Kelly.

Ruutu.  Assists from Kelly & Karlsson.

At least one each of EV, SH, PP goals.

Goaltending

Leclaire:  

SV%: .941

Truculence & Beligerence

Chris Neil:  5 for fighting (Konopka), 2+2+2 min for roughing, 10 for misconduct.  

Matt Carkner:  5 for fighting (Downie),

Anton Volchenkov:  2 for roughting.

Chris Phillips :  5 for fighting (Konopka) [check here]

Pizza?  Fuck yeah.

Heatley?  Fuck you.

"Oh," Leaf fans will say, "it was only Tampa!"  

Yeah, and 7-1 is how you're supposed to play a team like Tampa.

Sens / Lightning

This is a game I'm watching for the Sens to come out strong. They need to view the games against the teams expected to fight for the last few playoff spots as 4pt games. They won them against the Leafs, Isle, and Thrashers and need to keep it going against this improved Tampa team.

Offensively we been more focussed on Kovalev's first goal than Spezza's. I think the latter is more important to the club. Brent Wallace's tweet a few minutes ago made me feel better about it though:

In 07-08 Spezza went goaless in his 1st 7 games but he went on to record his best offensive season of his career. 34 goals and 92 pts

The Sens haven't had success on the PP but have been saved by a good PK. Tampa has too many weapons up front to tempt fate too many times shorthanded. Make that your key to victory.

UPDATE: Be sure to go over the live blog with DHS and friends!

Karlsson

Should he stay or should he go?

Low blow

Mirtle, in interviewing the authors of one of the many 'Why the Leafs Suck' books on the market, says the following:

That doesn't always happen — guys like Chris Phillips and Patrik Stefan were first overall picks, so if you tank and that's the year you bottom out...

I know Phillips isn't a franchise player but Patrik Stefan bad? Scanning the draft that year is interesting. Phillips has had one of the best careers of any of the first round picks (Briere would be the other guy) but some others taken that year - with of BoO connections:
56 NY Islanders Zdeno Chara
179 Tampa Bay Pavel Kubina
204 Toronto Tomas Kaberle
239 Ottawa Sami Salo

Steve Moore sings a happy tune

'Col' 4-1 and 1-4 All-leaf-fans-who-thought-this-would-break-the-goose-egg.

Ok, lame, but it distracts from this:

I kept it small so the eyes don't burn so much.

I'm actually feeling bad for the Leaf bloggers here.  I mean, we have a well founded, renewed sense of optimism after a year and  half of panic and uncertainty.   But man, you guys are having it rough.  Real, real bad. I mean real bad.

Ok, this is the only time I'm ever going to do something like this, but think of it as a hand up before kicking you in your pre-op groin.

If Obama gets the Peace Prize for what he's done, I get it next year for this.

Ted Kennedy night or not, same old start...

It's the 1st intermission. Different goaltender and a few new faces up front, but same old start. Late in the first the Avs strike for two goals and the Leafs go into the locker room showered in a chorus of booing.

I have to find a positive in this game. Something.
This is what I have:

Tyler Bozak is good at faceoffs.

If the Leafs tie it up or take the lead by the 2nd intermission, I'll get back into my street clothes, start up the car and drive to the Wheat Sheaf.

Take that.

And once he resigns in Atlanta?

My post in July after Nash re-upped in Columbus:
Reality's a bitch Leaf fans. Kovalchuk or bust!

PPP today:
To get the team's expenditures on their top six forwards up to the same percentage the Maple Leafs would have to invest another $4M on top of that to get close. Now if only there was a player worth that kind of coin...

And the answer to the question...
'Oh well. We'll sign Savard and reunite him with Kessel! The truculence experiment was a failure anyway!'

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Alterations for tonight's game:

INCOMING: Tyler Bozak, James Reimer, Victor Stalberg.
OUTGOING: Nik Hagman, Vesa Toskala, Matt Stajan.

Toskala suffered an injury last night, allegedly. A commenter at The Star wonders of it's rubber poisoning?

Reimer? Hardly know her.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/709334--leafs-shakeup-toskala-injured-bozak-recalled

Fuck.

That big red button over there...

Fire Wilson, hire Gretzky!
Waive Toskala.
Put Schenn in the minors.
Demote Blake.

God bless Damien Cox.

Turkey Day Thread: Sens v. Pens

It's only fitting that on Canadian Thanksgiving Day, the NHL is feeding the Ottawa Senators a bird. Ok, so it's not the traditional turkey, but Penguin must be considered a gourmet offering in these parts.

Last night's freeze warning from The Weather Network failed to materialize so the Penguins shouldn't get too comfortable.  

Tonight will be the first significant test for the Ottawa Senators and their new found ability to actually beat the opposing team.  I'm not expecting a total dominating victory or, let's be realistic, a win.  It'll be nice, but as long as it's kept respectable and the Pens are made to really work to win, we'll be in a happy place at the end of it.

Leclaire will get the start and his value will be truly tested with Crosby-Malkin on the ice at the same time as Carkner-Campoli or Eriksson-Picard.  Fortunately the Sens have last change tonight, but expect the ice time for these guys to be substantially lower than their 18:02 (Karlsson) and 17:51 (Carkner) ice time averages thus far.

This one is going to OT.  2-2.   Crosby with the SO winner*

*I reserve this asterisk for future use in the thread.

Stalberg practices, Toskala to start against Rangers.

Hopefully Stalberg will realize he's in the NHL now and will use his breakneck speed, to, well, not get his own neck broken. Sadly, he's not likely to play tonight, but Vesa gets his coaches vote of confidence. Not because Wilson thinks he's a good goaltender. Can't be. He has eyes like the rest of us. So I'm hoping this move is to teach is team a valuable lesson now while it's still early - PLAY BETTER and TAKE RESPONSIBILTY. Even teams with average tenders can win games with stingy play and hard work.

Question is, can the Leafs do this for 3 periods? We'll see.

I just hope Rosehill gets a game on a top 2 line. He earned it. What a gem this guy has turned out to be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By the numbers

4 Games played by Ottawa
3 Games won by Ottawa
0.750 Ottawa's point percentage

4 Games played by Toronto
0 Games won by Toronto
0.125 Toronto's point percentage


6 Point percentage ratio: Ottawa/Toronto

2 The number of goals scored by Mike Fisher in 3 games this year.

68 The percentage of faceoff wins by Mike Fisher (coincidentally, that's twice the faceoff win percentage of my g/f in her first ever hockey game tonight).

1 Number of goals scored tonight by Kovalev (it's a start!).

+3 - Matt Carkner's +/-
-5 Francois Beauchemin's +/-

10 Number of shots by Jason Blake
0 Number of points by Jason Blake

4.97 Vesa Toskala's current GAA

And the best for last:

15 Number of players on the Maple Leafs who have scored fewer goals than Matt Carkner.

Leafs on pace for 100 point season.

The last time the Leafs had only a single point in the standings from their first trio of games was in 2001-2002*. As it is this season, that measly point came from a game with the Habs.

As you may recall the Leafs finished with 100 points that year and went on to beat the Sens in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Was that the 3rd straight playoff beat down or the 2nd? I can't remember.

Anyway, I see no reason why the Leafs can't duplicate those results and kick off their rise to the top with a victory tonight. Curtis Joseph or no Curtis Joseph...

Leafs 4 Pens 3 OT

(wimper)

* In 2001-2002 Danny Heatley, Chris Neil and Vesa Toskala played their rookie seasons. Dave Manson, Bob Probert and Rick Tocchet played their final season of pro hockey.

Don Update:

The Sens are home again to the unbeaten Christoph Schubert and the Thrashers. I think with Heatley's meltdown, he's now our all-time favourite German born Senator!

Forward line tinkering should see Alfie and Spezza on separate lines. Elliot is expected to get his first start of the season. Leaf fans take note - sometimes you put in a 2nd goalie for reasons other than your number one is a piece of crap.

Sens 6 Thrashers 3

Leaf fans, introducing your $4M 3rd line winger.

I figure I ought to get in on the action today.
Here are the practice lines from this morning:

Ponikarovsky - Grabovski - Kulemin
Hagman - Stajan - Stempniak
Blake - Mitchell - Mayers
Rosehill - Wallin - Orr

Beauchemin - Kaberle
Komisarek - White
Schenn - Finger

Jeff Finger is in and frankly I don't know how he played the way he did in Washington and gets sat for the Sens game to begin with? Glad to see him and Schenn as a pairing and a well deserved promotion for Ian White. Perhaps the real Beauchemin will show up after 3 straight days of practice...

Who's taking bets on what period Joey Mac makes his Leafs debut?

Tracking Post 2

I had to push that last one down.  Too aggravating to bear.

Here's something happier:

Toskala.   4.94 GAA

Tracking post

By popular demand:

Heatley	4	Kovalev	0
		Michalek	0
		Cheechoo	0
		Total	0

It's Friday! I like boobies.

I just wanted to apologize to everyone for yesterday's gratuitous cock shots in my first ever post on the BoO.

I figure this will make up for it (after the jump for those with overly-restrictive image policies - not necessarily NSFW):


I did a google image search for "Ottawa Senators ladies" but these are the only pics that came up:



Happy Thanksgiving.

Luck of the Irish

Is there any way the Leafs can trade for Shean "Chum" Donovan?
Two goals in two games that shouldn't have counted. Is it any suprise that this guy was reffing last night?

In other news, someone that plays for San Jose scored a hat trick last night... Can anyone guess who?

And, one of NYI's players is challenging Byron Bitz for coolest name in the league... Matt Moulson. Solid. My all-time fav is Zarley Zalapski.

Burke's best option?

Gustavsson's goaltender-destroying injury to the join casts a shadow over the hope that was.  Grim are the prospects for Toronto's goaltending situation.

We're all well aware of Toskala's unfulfilled 'potential' and, as Five-0 so kindly detailed with medically far-too-accurate images we hope to never see again, Gustavsson is looking to be as fragile as Pascal Leclaire has been the last few years (and, dear unicorn, let that be the end of it). 

So what is Burke to do?

Well, Joey McDonald is recalled on Emergency Waivers which runs out after 30 days.  Hopefully for Gustavsson, he heals quickly and permanently.   But what if he doesn't?  What if he 'heals' and reinjures?  This is already looking like a wonky groin, a la Hasek.  Do the Leafs hope and pray that Toskala turns it around?  

McDonald isn't the answer, because he has to go back to the A and be recalled again with the possibility of being claimed.  So if he isn't the answer, if Toskala plays as he has been, and if Gustavsson can't remain healthy, I ask again: what is Burke to do?  

Your solution after the break:

Here's your best bet at the moment, Brian:

Burke may be forced to deal with the Islanders (I'm tampering!  They're gonna take away my internets!).  When DiPietro comes back from injuries, you can bank on him getting a lot of games to earn that crazy term contract.    You're then left with one of Roloson or Biron.  It's doubtful the Iles would part with Biron as he's a more than capable backup and could even start.  

So is Roloson the answer?  What goes in the other direction?  NY loves those young guys right now.  Is Burke willing to ditch some of the future for a decent goalie or will he start putting his scouts on the top 5 prospects for 10/11?

Bleak folks.  October bleak.

Welcome to Ottawa JT

Its the Sens rookie that opens the scoring though.

Gotta win the games against the Isles of the league - something the Sens didn't do last year.

Tips for Gustavsson

Dear Monster,

This is what happened to you:


This is how to fix it:


And this is what will happen to Leaf Nation if you don't:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_methods

Some of the lads over at Pension Plan Puppets have a few of their own suggestions...
http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2009/10/8/1076401/gustavsson-on-ir-macdonald-recalled

How to commit suicide quickly and without a lot of fanfare

1. Cut femoral artery in a hot tub
2. Jump off of a bridge into ottawa traffic
3. The Wellwood - Try to eat as much as Kyle Wellwood

I'm partial to number 1 and 2 as there aren't enough groceries at my local supermarket that would even allow me to attempt option 3.

The Monster is down!

Sid breathes a sigh of relief.

Kovalev dishes on Alfie, Kostitsyn & Markov

Recognizing his popularity with much of the francophone community through his time with the Habs, RDS.ca has invited Kovalev to be an occasional contributor on hockey matters.

A few of the high-lites from his first entry:

• The Sens have a better veteran-rookie communication structure.  Sounds like the Habs stopped talking when things got bad.  Who gets the credit?  Alfie, of course;
• Kostitsyn is a suckhole;
• Markov is a huge loss for the Habs (and to DJ on the BoOB);

How often can we expect to see Kovalev pining for his old team in his personal blog? 

"at least once or twice a month"

That is, unless he doesn't like it anymore.

And the bell rings...

The fighters retreat to their corners. The first round goes the Sens but there was no knockout - Gustavsson played well. The expected street fight didn't emerge.

Game notes:
Top icetime for the Sens was Phillips at 19:23. Spezza led the forwards with 18:14.
The Kaberle/Beauchemin tandem saw 21:40 of ice with Stajan leading the forwards with 18:13.

Stempniak led everyone with 5 shots - the Leafs putting 14 on Leclaire in the 3rd period.

Redlight or stopsign?

Ok, I didn't want to step on Don's GDT, but had this in the works last night and, at Muppet's urging, we may as well all get a post in.

I figured there was no need to put Gustavsson's face on the statue. You're all smart enough to understand the inference.

So, what's tomorrow's amendment to graphic going to be? Red light or stop sign?

Think we can fit two Game Day posts?

Hell ya! In fact lets make it three. THM, you got something cooking you can throw up in a few hours? I think we should all get to chime in on BoO Game Day. Jardine is probably still sleeping... the salmon eating hippie.

Gustavsson is in net and we're all pretty excited. Fisher, as Don pointed out, was tossing challenges across the aisle this morning at our D. Carkner and Neil lining up and will be met by Rosehill and Orr. Kulemin inserted into the line-up with Mayers out. That Shannon guy who was on Zonker Harris' best 3rd line in the NHL is already scratched in game #2... Is this enough drama? Does the BoO still have sizzle?

We gonna get it on cause we don't get along!

Six rounds this season in the BoO

We'll call this one the tune-up. Where you measure your throws because this early in the season you're just not quite sure what your opponent has and even what you've got to give.

It's not Ali, but Fisher's starting with the as much trash talking as you'll probably get:
"Their back end is definitely very physical, but at the same time, there are not a lot of guys, other than (Tomas) Kaberle, that handle the puck, so we've got to make sure we're pressuring them and getting on them," Fisher said. "They'll turn the puck over, we saw that the first two games."

Is it Gustavsson for the Leafs? Fans of the Blue and White hope he passes his first on-ice test better than his driver's test.

Obviously neither team wants to drop this game.  The Leafs are under tremendous pressure to tighten up their defence - if their struggles last a week I think we'll start to see ink on subtle jabs and questions with regards to Burke's UFA choices and his gamble on Kessel without seeing what his situation really is in net and defence.

The Sens play their home opener on Thursday.  Saturday's loss looked really familiar to Sens fans and it struck a nerve.  Another one like that and the call-in shows are going to be

in mid-season form.  

So sing the anthem and bring it on Godfather!

BoO prep

The Sens are likely going to tweak the bottom lines for tomorrow's game at the ACC with Shannon expected to be out.

Personally, I'd like to see Kovalev with Spezza and Alfie if one can play the left side. Michalek seems to like a more north-south style which I can see fitting in well with Fisher.

Anyway, looking forward to reading the Toronto papers Wednesday when Joey McDonald gets called up, and the Leafs make overtures to Gerber to come back and replace the two shell shocked Leaf tenders.

Better late than never?

New post to discuss the Sens scoring woes, Toskala getting the hook, etc, etc.

Go SENS!

This post brought to you by the letter A.

As Muppet intimated in the prior thread, the Sens did indeed apply power to Fisher, but, instead of a triple-A as Muppet suggested,  Clouston decided only to give him only one.

The generally accepted captain-in-waiting,  the guy with the most heart on the team now takes the place of the player without any heart (and a -3 after game one to boot). 

Fisher injured from thoughts of playing Leafs next week.*

It happened today in practice while Clouston took his squad through some tape in preparation for the first few games of the schedule. Upon seeing Mike komiserek's face, Fisher keeled over and had a heart attack. Using miniature paddles and a AAA battery, they managed to get his little heart beating again. Afraidsson, seeing the commotion, ran and hid in the dressing room until all was sorted, and then gave a press conference while riding his stationary bike.Mostly he talked about the nuts he hid around the rink last spring and how he's having a hard time finding them all.

Word is Fisher will be OK and can play Saturday in NYC.

*events may not have occurred as described.

Bob McKenzie and opening night for the Leafs!

Unless you're up late like me - because you played a game of pick-up at 11pm and now you can't sleep - this ought to be the morning Leaf post welcoming you to Game #1 of the Brian Burke era.

Before you get too excited, Vesa Toskala will start the season. Before you let that get you down, recall that it was Toskala who backstopped the Leafs to a 3-2 win over Detroit to open last season. Half full. Half empty. You decide!

Yesterday we talked rosters. Eyebrows raised, no doubt, to see Victor Stalberg open the season on the top line. Or did they? He did lead the NHL in pre-season goals with a half dozen in 8 games played. But that's because he personally played in more games than most other teams did right? Perhaps. Also he was a 6th round pick, by John Ferguson Junior. He must be a flash in the pan... Unless you believe Bob McKenzie, who today [Thursday], said this:

"This guy is no flash in the pan [see how I did that, using his exact words above and then flipping them into a positive - awesome!], and he will challenge for the rookie of the year"

Rookie of the year? Hey. What does Bob McKenzie know? It's not like you can take his words to the bank on most subjects related to hockey. [See how I did that? I say something opposite to fact as if it is fact, to prove my point that Bob know everything. I'm on a roll.]

Bob McKenzie... Victor Stalberg... hmm... oh right, the roster. Well, one thing that occurred to me is that despite playing a billion preseason games, the Leafs never iced the exact group who will start the season. Imagine when that 3rd D line comes out and it's Exelby and Ian White? Sends shivers down my spine. Do you, like me, look forward to the first time our 4th line jumps over the boards and Orr, Rosehill and Primeau go flying into the opposition zone looking to shake things up? How about Hagman on a line with Grabovski, or Kaberle and Beauchemin both wearing letters on their chest and #22 waiting for grapes from #15 the way #24 used to back when our PP was #2? Speaking of numbers, which one does Wallin wear again and can he make our PK not be #30?

Lots of excitement, lots of hope, lots of fears.

So have at it BoO. Where you watching the game tonight? Who do you think will stand out? How many beers will you drink? What kind of beer? Will you even remember the 3rd? And how, on God's green earth, will any of us get any work done today?

Leafs vs Habs. 7pm. CBC.

F'n Aye.

10 years today!

A new captain was named to the Ottawa Senators on October 1st, 1999.
Alfie became the club leader in regular season and playoff games, goals, assists, and points and holds the club record for plus-minus.
He was the first European captain to lead his team to the Cup finals.
He's now the longest serving captain in the NHL.

How quickly things can change. Sundin and Koivu left their teams under a cloud and now both teams start the season tomorrow without a player wearing the C.

On Saturday, Alfie leads the Sens in the season with expectations low but with a clear goal. The team will build on the improvement seen during the end of last season, grow the improved offensive depth into a team strength, build defensive confidence out from Leclaire, and take these into the playoffs.

TSN predictions

Tonight on TSN they gave their predictions:

8: Montreal
9: Toronto
10: Ottawa

It all starts tomorrow!

Also - Mirtle has the Sens at 13th. Really James? Really?

Squeegie retires

TSN Reporting that the most prolific visor-washer in the NHL has announced his retirement in Sweden.

See you in February, Mats.

UPDATE: ok... I felt bad. Seeing as he helped Colorado win the Cup by being traded from the Nordiques, I do have to say he was always entertaining to watch and deserves some respect. See ya' in the Hall.

Your Toronto Maple Leafs*

MacDonald is on waivers and there just wasn't enough room in the top six for Tyler Bozak. Congratulations to Victor Stalberg, great camp and well deserved roster spot!
Here's how the Leafs lineup should look Thursday night:

Forwards:

Blake-Stajan-Stalberg
Grabovski-Hagman-Ponikarovsky
Wallin-Stempniak-Mitchell
Rosehill-Primeau-Orr

Defence:

Kaberle-Komisarek
Beauchemin-Schenn
White -Exelby

Goal:

Toskala
Gustavsson

*Play hard on the top two lines fuckers, because Phil Kessel is 4-6 weeks away from taking one of your spots!

Thanks to sportsnet.ca for the update.

Not even flowers

Oh, and by the way you ungrateful readers. We passed our 4th anniversary on Sunday here on the BoO and you didn't remember.

You're on the couch tonight.

Your 2009-10 Sens

Coming out of the gates, with the Shubert waive and Smith assignment, it looks like this is the roster:

OFFENCE
Michalek - Spezza - Alfredsson
Kovalev - Regin - Fisher
Foligno - Shannon - Cheechoo
Ruutu - Kelly - Neil
Donovan

Winchester comes back in a few weeks so a move will need to happen then.

DEFENCE
Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Karlsson
Campoli - Carkner
Picard

I'm expecting to see Lee sent down to Bingo.

GOAL:
Leclaire
Elliot

My thoughts after the jump.

With the forwards, I think if the lack of goal scoring in the preseason continues into the regular season these lines change quickly. Kovalev on the left side and Regin holding the 2nd line center spot are the first things to change. Shannon could see himself with Kovalev on the right and Foligno on the left if the Fisher/Regin experiment doesn't score.
Regin himself will be watched closely as he's easy to send down when Winchester comes back. Donovan is a nice guy to have but if Regin does keep his spot then I'd expect Donovan to be moved to a team looking for a 3rd/4th line player at his low salary.

At defence, Karlsson of course is going to be nice to watch but the bigger question marks are elsewhere. Volchenkov's health will be important for both the success of the top shutdown pair and for what type of contract he'll be offered before he becomes a UFA next summer. If Carkner is responsible enough in his own end he'll stay up as we all expect fighting to be up in the Northeast this year and Neil can't go every night.

Am I as confident as James Gordon in this team? No. I think they will have scoring issues until all the new forwards (Michalek, Kovalev, Cheechoo, Regin as the 2nd line center) - guys that are expected to score - figure out the new system. If Leclaire outperforms expectations then yes we can look for the 2nd NE position and a 4/5/6 playoff spot. If he's normal, we're going to be in tough.

Stockholm, SE (TT): BoO to become BoSE in 2012/13?

So you Leafers are all excited about the hugeness that is Jonas Gustavsson, impressive at 6'3", 192 pounds. Pretty big for a 24 year old goalie. Exciting, isn't it, that BB has put all his hopes and future glory in the trapper of "the best goalie not in the NHL" (at 24, remember). Well, with a GAA of 2.4 in 20 games last year, and an astonishing 3.60 GAA in 10 playoff games, I'd be rather scared to see what "the 2nd best goalie not playing in the NHL" has for numbers!

Let's recap:
Goalie: Jonas Gustavsson
Birthplace: Danderyd, SE
Age: 24
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 192 lbs
Draft year, round, position: N/A, N/A, N/A (and that doesn't stand for "North America)

Now, Leaf fans, let me introduce you to our own Swedish prospect.

Goalie: Robin Lehner
Birthplace: Gothenburg, SE (shout out to the THM fam!)
Age: 18
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 220 lbs
Bio here. Article here
Draft year, round, position: 2009, 2nd, 46th.


Seriously, you want to talk nicknames? If you're calling your guy Monster at 193lbs at 24, what should we call this guy at 220 lbs at 18? Godzilla is taken. Is there a Swedish phrase for "holy F*@!?! HE"S HUGE!"

While we're talking goalies, let's not forget a hat-tip Toskala.

Preseason bonding rituals indicative of coming season?

While the Habs show they'll be putting their season in the pink Unicorn's hands and catering to the age group demographic that best suits the maturity of their fans with a stay at Teen Ranch, a Christian retreat north of Toronto, the Leafs will be starting their golf season really early in Huntsville.*

Meanwhile, the Sens have shown other teams they ought to be worried as Ottawa spent time sporting assault rifles at the RCMP firearms training faciliites. All but Alfie, of course. He just darted a glance at the targets and holes appeared; bullseye every time.

*c'mon - what else is there to do in Huntsville but golf? Perhaps they're going to watch all the pretty leaves fall off the trees as a team bonding experience? That would be oh, so poetic.

Should Kadri get 9 games in the NHL?

On the first day of this marathon Leaf camp, Wilson said that Kadri would likely not get the "Luke Schenn" treatment. Translated: He either stays up or he goes back to the OHL. No regular season "audition". Firm.

While I appreciate a hardline approach to bringing players up only when they are ready, is there any reason in the world why Kadri shouldn't stick around and see some NHL competition for a few weeks?

Eat, eat!

Just poking around the NHL stats and see that the smallest NHL defenceman last year was 175lbs - Kevin Quick played 6 games for Tampa, Cory Murphy 32 games for Florida and Tampa.

Karlsson is listed at 165.

Ah - but he's bigger than Stapleton of the Leafs who played 4 games for the Blue team and was listed at 160lbs.

Kovawesome

2nd in the league in preseason shooting percentage!

2 goals on 1 shot.
Rookie Matthew Martin of the Rangers leads with 2 goals on no shots.

Hello, I'm GM of the Leafs and the season starts tomorrow.

Here is my line-up based on how players have performed in camp:

OFFENCE
Hagman - Stajan - Stempniak
Blake - Grabovski - Kulemin
Mitchell - Bozak - Stalberg
Orr - Hanson - Mayers
Rosehill

DEFENCE
Komisarek - Kaberle
Beauchemin - Schenn
Finger - Exelby
White

GOAL:
Toskala
MacDonald

On offence, Ponikorovsky goes because he's never played with heart and now we have players who do. See ya. I LOVE Rosehill's game and the second somebody gets injured he gets regular minutes. As of right now he dresses for games in Philly and Boston (but he will sit against the Sens when we don't need toughness).

On defence, I haven't seen MVR play so White gets the nod. Sorry Mike, but you're injured already and it's training camp for crying out loud. Frogren, all the best buddy. I choose Exelby over White because while I like the way the latter moves the puck, for my 17-minute-a-game defensive pairing I want the other team worry about getting hit. Hard.

In goal, I have high hopes for the Monster just like you (leaf fans), but in reality MacDonald has actually played in the NHL and he's played in camp and I'll take the bird in hand. If in two weeks one of Tosk or Joey struggles, The Monster is right in there.

KADRI: You are ready to shoot and score in the NHL but you are not quite ready to protect your own end of the ice or use your body. Go and dominate in junior for a year and we'll catch you next year.

KESSEL: When you're completely 100% and have practiced with full contact for at least a week, we'll slot you in. One of Kulemin or Stempniak are the first to go.

Wayne Primeau hates the Sens.

Actually I'm not sure that is true. We'll get the BoO fact checkers on it pronto and let you know. Lets just assume so until then.

What is definitely true is that Primeau will be making his Leafs debut tonight against the Stanley Cup Champs.

He's on a line with Colton Orr and Jamal Mayers. Yowza.

The rookie-line of Bozak, Kadri and Stalberg will also skate in this one, as will the Leafs projected top two pairings Komi-Kaberle and Beauchemin-Schenn.

Game is on TSN, watch it in glorious HD.

5-0 for the Leafs is my prediction.

Yes, I'm actually getting cocky.

Sneak preview

I'm thinking we can pencil this in for Volume 2 of Why the Leafs Stink:
"But that's Toronto. There's different pressures that exist. And I think they exist whether your name is Ken Dryden or Pat Quinn or Cliff Fletcher or John Ferguson or Brian Burke. And it'll apply to the next GM. I believe the key part of it is you can't get caught up in the immediacy. What happens when you get caught up in the immediacy is that you don't see the forest for the trees. Therefore, a trade for a couple of top 10 picks for Phil Kessel occurs."

The Kessel trade, of course, wasn't a Ferguson stroke. It happened on the watch of Brian Burke, who dispatched what turned out to be two top 10 selections in the 2010 and 2011 drafts to the Boston Bruins in a move to shore up Toronto's offence.

He got 60pts last year. 126 career points.

Random Leaf V.1

Kadri centering a line of Kessel and Kulemin might be pretty sweet coming out of next years camp. Sadly, some punter nicknames the line based on the first letters of their name and is promptly beat up at the bar.

How long before Komiserek and Beauchemin fight in practice? The reason? Who gets to play with Thomas Kaberle. After tonights game, me thinks Beauchemin could have a giant year with Kabby. Komi and Schenn as the second pairing - done!

Sitting at the bar tonight sipping a well deserved beer after my own hockey game, a teammate who despises the Leafs (he's a big Oil fan), said the first kind words about Toronto in the 5 years I've known him. "What's not to like", he said. Then I get home and find Conrad's positive words, and it dawns on me - if other fans opinions are the gauge, the Leafs are getting somewhere.

How many highlight reel goals does Nik Hagman have to score before he gets some proper respect? Glove tap to Cliff Fletcher for signing this guy.

Anyone else notice how skilled Kadri seems to be in the faceoff circle? It's the little things. I hope he has a great season in London, wins a gold medal over Christmas, and comes back next September 15 pounds heavier. He'll be feeding Kessel passes before we know it.

Colton Orr kicked the absolute crap out of Riley Cote tonight. When the camera scanned the Leafs bench during the fight the entire team was standing with grins ear to ear, and when he got out of the box later he came back to a ton of appreciation from all his teammates. Whoever says scrappers need to be removed from the game need to see that footage.

Ottawa won tonight. Finally. Also noticed that it's Alfredsson and Kovalev sharing the spotlight on the Sens website. Kovalev? What has happened to Jason Spezza? First off the Olympic list and now this?

One guy that could surprise and make the Leafs out of camp? Jason Rosehill.
One guy that could surprise by NOT making the Leafs out of camp? Jamal Mayers.
One guy who will wonder why he didn't make the team out of camp? Jason Allison. What a great set of hands. Shame about the feet.